Hey August, What's New?

This month has been a slower than normal month for adding new items to the site, but behind the scenes we've been diligent little worker bees with our stocked items. For those of you who have not read my initial post, THH (The Hardware Hut) is part of Spokane Hardware. We have a print catalog of all of the items that are stocked in our warehouse that we are able to give to builders to take on job sites and order their stock items from. There are a number of items that are what I call "more functional and less visual", such as roller catches for cabinets, sand paper, adhesives, padlocks, etc. Our print catalog is about 400 pages with approximately 5 items per page, we are in the process of adding those items to our website. For the time being we've got the "Print Catalog" items listed in a category with very basic descriptions and a price. Little by little, we are editing the descriptions and adding images to each item and moving them from the "print catalog" category to the category that they belong in on the rest of the site. It will take some time, but we'll get it all done eventually. I mentioned the print items in last months post, but thought I should elaborate a bit.

Since I'm on the subject of items that are stocked here, some items that have been added to Thehardwarehut.com are commercial bathroom accessories by Bradley. These are items such as the double toilet paper roll holders, or the wall mounted soap dishes, and the sanitary dispensers for the stalls. These items are all made out of stainless steel which is typical for commercial applications because of it's durability.




Another new collection is the Schaub & Company Vinci line, they've come out with cabinet knobs & pulls as well as appliance handles made out of solid bronze. The great thing about this collection is that they are made from what is typically a rustic material but the style is more modern. My personal favorite is the Polished White Bronze finish, it's very similar in color to what a polished nickel would be but not quite as mirrored and it's got slight imperfections. This collection is very linear and clean, I think square shapes are becoming pretty popular.



And the last thing I'll share for this month is a new "component" by Lewis Dolin. Lewis Dolin has had the Bar Pull series for a number of years, these pulls come in a number of different lengths and a few finish choices. He has come up with a bracket that you can add to any of his bar pulls to make a towel bar out of it. Currently, he does not have any other bath hardware such as robe hooks or toilet paper holders, but I think the towel bar is a good idea for the kitchen. I can see one of these hanging on the end of a counter or on an island and it would be a perfect match to the rest of the pulls.

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”

Can You Handle This?

When it comes to ordering appliance handles it's hard to decide on which size to get. This is another scenario where personal preference is key. I personally contacted four major commercial/professional appliance manufacturers and asked them if they had any recommendations for sizing. I basically got the same answer from all of them, depending on which configuration you have you will want something that is proportionate. So, now that I've gotten all that help, I'm still back to our original consensus of getting what you want.

It seems that the most common sizes for refrigerator doors are anywhere from 12in. to 18in. on center. For the type of refrigerator that has a freezer drawer down below we've seen a fairly good mix of either the same size pull as on the doors or one that's slightly smaller. For ranges and dishwashers the sizing seems to range from 6in. to 12in. on center. Also, when looking for appliance pulls you will want something that has a diameter of about 3/4in to 1in. These are typical dimensions for most appliance handles anyway, but it's something you should be aware of. Due to the force that it takes to pull open a commercial appliance you don't want to use a pull that's much smaller in diameter or one that is made for a regular cabinet because it just won't be strong enough to hold up over time.

Again, these are by no means hard fast rules that you need to live by, the decision should be based on the scale of the rest of the hardware in the room and how much of the appliance you want covered by the hardware.

There are a few manufacturers that have starting coming out with various size appliance handles to match the regular cabinet handles, but there are still quite a few manufacturers who only make one or two sizes in the appliance handles.



Amerock, Berenson, Schaub & Company, and Top Knobs are four brands to look at that have sizes ranging from 3in. to 18in on center so you can order in complete collections.



TIP: To get a visualization of what size would be appropriate you can cut out a piece of cardboard that's the length and width of the pulls you are considering. Tape the cardboard to the appliance and look at it for a few days, if it feels right-you know which size to go with. If not-try a different size.

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”

Hey July, What's New?

As usual, around here at the Hardware Hut we're busy little bees. So far in the month of July we've added five new Gatco bath hardware collections, two new Schaub and Company cabinet hardware collections, some door locks, some keyboard slides, and some miscellaneous cabinet hardware items. Not only have we added all of that but, we have just started a fairly big project. We will be adding our complete stock catalog to the website. When I say a fairly big project that's actually an understatement. Our stock catalog is roughly 400 pages with five or 6 sku's per page. That's a lot of product! Perhaps, I'll save that for a blog post in itself.

Back to what's new for July...I'll start with the new Gatco bath hardware. We've added the Oldenburg collection which comes in finish choices of burnished bronze, polished chrome, and satin nickel. This style would be suitable in a traditional setting. It looks elegant and rich. We've also added the Jewel collection which is more square in design but it's a soft design. You can get the Jewel collection in satin nickel or polished chrome. Another collection we've added is the Irvine collection, this collection is my personal favorite from the new Gatco items. My own personal tastes are typically more contemporary, but there's something about the shapes on this collection that appeal to me. The Irvine collection comes in burnished bronze, satin nickel, and polished chrome too. We've also added the Philadelphia collection which is another square style but this one has a little more detail to it, and more defined edges. It sort of reminds me of crown molding. The last new collection from Gatco is the Max, the Max collection is the sleek modern look that I like, the robe hook in particular is really cool. This collection reminds me of plumbing parts a little, it's a little bit industrial looking without being "cold."



We've also added a square passage pocket door set by Valli and Valli to match their privacy set. Valli and Valli make some great quality, unique pocket door items and when a privacy set and a passage set are ordered together they can be used on double pocket doors.




We've also added some Schlage commercial locks in oil rubbed bronze. We've carried the Commercial levers in satin chrome and brass for some time, and have finally added the oil rubbed bronze. Schlage's commercial locks come in keyed functions as well as interior functions such as passage and privacy.



And to wrap up this post before it get's too long, is the Schaub and Company Firenza collection. Schaub does a great job of coming up with innovative designs that a lot of other companies try to replicate. They seem to always be ahead of the pack when it comes to styles. The Firenza collection has a hint of old world italian charm. I like the lace-like scroll pattern they've incorporated into the pulls. The Firenza collection comes in three finish choices.



That about sums up the month of July so far. Stay tuned for next months new stuff!

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”

Schaub's Symphony

Schaub & Company has come out with a new line of hardware over the past year called Symphony Designs. I want to mention them just because they are so beautiful. First of all, I want to say that not a single one of these pieces are in my own personal taste (I'm more of a sleek modern kinda girl) but man, these are gorgeous. They're like miniature artworks for your furniture or cabinets. And, just because something isn't my style doesn't mean I can't appreciate the beauty.

The pieces in the Symphony collection are made on a low volume basis by artisans, so each one is unique. They have very slight variations that make them one of a kind. They feature rare inlaid materials, and all the pieces are individually molded.

There are a few pieces I'll post as examples and of course I'll pick my personal favorites, but you should really check out the rest of the series.


This piece reminds me of something out of the Art Nouveau period, for those art lovers out there the whole Heirloom Treasures collection reminds me of Alphonse Mucha. This pull is made out of solid brass that's been aged with a subtle greenwash. It has two types of Mother of Pearl, Tiger Penshell, and a giant piece of Jade inlaid in the center.



This next piece is a branch pull that comes in a left and a right, and of course at 8" long you can't use a lot of them in one space, but a few would make a pretty big statement. The attention to detail in these is insane, the branches have little grooves that look like real bark, the flowers have tiny veins, and there are real black pearls, and crystals strategically placed on it. I can envision these on a big armoire or hutch.



The octopus is probably my favorite, and I can't pinpoint why other than it just looks really cool. The best part about this piece is the design. The placement of the tentacles is perfect, the eyes are a different color than the body so they stand out, and under the tentacles they even made little indents for the suction things (I know-very technical).



This is another one that I can't say exactly why I like it. The patina is perfect, it looks tangible and soft. This is a piece that just makes you want to touch it. Again, the attention to detail is incredible. It kind of reminds me of a piece cloth that's been rolled instead of a piece of metal. The entire French Court collection has the same soft look.

These are just a few pieces out of the 13 different collections that Schaub & Company for the Symphony Designs series. If you have a minute, you should check out the rest. They truly are magnificent.

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”